December 28, 2015
Despite the fact, now that The Beatles are streaming on Spotify, there is a whole new generation of kids that will never listen to Rubber Soul straight through, I’m still a firm believer in the album format. Artists like Kendrick Lamar can have a complete musical vision that can’t be represented by one track. Some, like Bjork, will actually wrap it in some wonderful album artwork. And some will release a set of songs that you just can’t stop playing. For me that was the 9 track album a hero of mine from my teenage days, Paul Weller. Andrea and I both played the hell out of it and it will still be on heavy rotation in the new year.
It was hard to hang out in record stores this year with a wild monkey living in our casa. I even fell behind on my three favorite music podcasts (Sound Opinions, All Songs Considered, and Alt Latino). Most of the year was spent watching Cozy transform from a baby into a toddler, and on planes and writing my ass off. But there was still plenty of music in the house and the one thing we learned in 2015 is that Cozy Valentina loves to dance, especially to hip hop and Latin music. And she likes record stores, too.
The six weeks we spent in Mexico helped to infuse her with her native rhythms. Our weekly “Sunday Funday” fix of Cuban music on the beach and the endless playing of Osmani Garcia and Pitbull’s single, “Taxi,” had her up on her feet and shaking her diaper. The other day I was playing some dreary Bob Dylan and she figured out how to get the CD out of the stereo and replace it with a Bomba Estero disc. She hit play, climbed on the table and danced. She’s mama’s girl.
There was a great theme of classic jazz this year. The amazing DJs on KMHD got me through the ups and downs of 2015. They provided much of the soundtrack while I worked on my new novel, The Dream Police. The year culminated with a show at the Village Vanguard in New York City a few weeks ago. The Christian McBride Trio provided an evening of bliss in the world’s most historic jazz cellar.
We actually did manage to get out and see some shows this year thanks to some much appreciated babysitting. We went to see Patti Smith, Algiers, Madonna, Genders, Emily Kinney, La Santa Cecilia and Paul Weller. Andrea made it to shows by Sleater-Kinney and Elle King. And Cozy went to her first two concerts with us this year, U2 in Vancouver and then The Waterboys in Portland.
As I predicted, I bought a lot less music in 2015 (and a lot more diapers). But here are 20 releases from 2015 I really enjoyed. I’ve been a Paul Weller fan since he was in The Jam in the late 1970s and I think his latest is one of the best things he’s ever done. Seeing him play these songs at the Wonder Ballroom in October was beyond thrilling. And I have to say how excited I was about a new ELO album. It may really just be a Jeff Lynne album but it captures what was great about the group in the seventies; the music that inspired my last book.
- Paul Weller – Saturns Patterns
- Jeff Lynne’s ELO – Alone in the Universe
- Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
- Algiers – Algiers
- The Waterboys – Modern Blues
- Bomba Estereo – Amanecer
- Sleater Kinney – No Cities to Love
- Kacey Musgraves – Pageant Material
- The Decemberists – What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World
- D’Angelo and the Vanguard – Black Messiah
- Madonna – Rebel Heart
- Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
- Bob Dylan – Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Best of the Cutting Edge
- Modest Mouse – Strangers to Ourselves
- Keith Richards – Crosseyed Heart
- Bjork – Vulnicura
- Brian Wilson – No Pier Pressure
- Lana Del Rey – Honeymoon
- Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear
- Pete Townshend – Truancy
You can stream tracks here on my Spotify 2015 Top 20 playlist.
Honorable mention: Waxahatchee – Ivy Trip, Bob Dylan – Shadows in the Night, The Flaming Lips – With a Little Help From My Fwends, Ringo Starr – Postcards From Paradise, Protomartyr – The Agent Intellect, Various Artists – PDX Pop Now 2015
I love year-end lists. They typically serve as shopping lists (or at least streaming). SO much music to catch up on. I bought a Kedrick Lamar track over the summer but the album topped so many year-end lists, I finally purchased the whole thing and now I get it (but it loses points for all the “bitch” talk). It will be on heavy rotation in 2016. But it’s going to have to compete with the new David Bowie album out on January 8. And I know I need to get into Grimes and give that Sujan Stevens album another try. But what all about the great stuff that I’ll be ranking a year from now? When am I going to listen to that?
I have a lot of catching up to do. I’m sure when I get the latest albums by Alabama Shakes, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Dwight Yoakum, and Young Fathers I’ll wish I had listened to them in 2015. Cozy just wants more salsa and hip hop. I’m setting aside some album time when Cozy goes off the college.
Go back 1 year! Dad’s Favorite Discs 2014
Watching the Wheels 
Happy New Year and hope you had a Merry Christmas 2015 with your family & here are my thoughts on music and how it has changed over years. When I was 8 years old in 1978, I liked listening to disco such as Bee Gees, Donna Summer (Ladonna Adrianne Gaines), etc. During the 1980s, I liked listening to Madonna, but also liked listening to hard rock like Def Leppard and Guns N’Roses. In the 1990s, I liked grunge such as Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots. Also liked alternatives like Smashing Pumpkins, Alanis. In the early 2000s, I lost interest in grunge and listen more to pop. Other than Nickelback, I lost interest in hard rock. In 2015, I listen to Adele, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, ElliejGoulding, 1 direction and other musicians.
I don’t care for country music though the musicians are talented, they are not my type of music. But what kind of music do you listen to I don’t know how people can listen to the same music years later, as I lost interest in music when I listened to years ago. Yes, I can listen to old songs, but music is best the first time they come out. Again, in 2015, I like listening to 1 Direction and Adele’s 25, but my interest in their music will eventually run out as once I’ve heard a song so many times (which with youtube you can download again & again), I lose interest.
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Do you also like listening to 1 Direction, Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, Justin Drew Bieber (like some of his songs) Selena Marie Gomez, Demi D. Lovato (some songs) and other pop musicians as I do? Must wonder why people listen to concerts of 1970s groups such as Eagles (are they still touring & other groups), because though their decade was 1970s, they make more money now than they did in prime. Madonna was great in the 1980s, but lost interest in her after 1990. Musicians usu. have 2 or 3 good albums with most musicians having around 5 good years. Now if musicians began when they were in teens such as Beyonce, or Justin Drew Bieber, then possibly 10 good years.
Think Britney is beyond her prime as her oldest music came out in 1999 when she was 17/18 years old. 2015 is Demi D. Lovato’s (Demetria Devonne Lovato) prime. Has Lady Gaga passed her
prime ? Her 2013 Artpop was good and she did well from her 2008 Fame Monster album (debut) to 2013 Artpop, so we know that Lady Gaga has had her 5 years of fame from 2009 to 2014. Will Lady Gaga come up with new music or has she passed her prime where she doesn’t have interest to sing anymore ? Time will also tell if 2015 Made in the AM is 1 Direction’s last and are they beyond their prime since possibly after 5 years (2010 to 2015), 1 Direction possibly wants the easier things in life.
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Something to add to my 2 posts. With singer Katy Elizabeth Perry (Katy Perry), I liked her 2013 Prism when that came out. I listened to that so many times until I lost interest and Katy needs to come up with new music. We will find out if Katy E. Perry passed her prime after her 2 biggest albums 2010 Teenage Dream and 2013 Prism. As known, she performed in Superbowl.
Though think you have read this-1970s music legend David Bowie (David Robert Jones) died @ 69 years old. His decade was 1970s & after 1983 I lost interest in his music. He was talented, only that like other 1970s groups be it Led Zeppelin or the Eagles, his decade was the 1970s. Hope he died happy and believing he accomplished what he wanted to in life.
Here are women in 2015 who make millions & earn more than most men do-Adele (Adele Laurie Blue Adkins), Ariana Grande, Selena Marie Gomez, Lady Gaga, Katy E. Perry, Demi Lovato (Demetria Devonne Lovato), Beyonce, etc. These women make millions & more than most men including White men. Then why do they keep saying men earn more than women?
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Victoria Secret women also earn more money then most men as you see them in Selena M. Gomez video Victoria’s Secret Angels Lip Sync “Hands to Myself” – YouTube Video for Selena Marie Gomez, Victoria Secret Models youtube▶ 3:42 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnqNvtHyWEY 5th Harmony’s 5 girls who turn 20 in 2016 earn more money than most men incl. the White men in their music video Work, watchFifth Harmony – Work from Home ft. Ty Dolla $ign – YouTubeVideo for FIfth Harmony, work video▶ 3:40 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GL9JoH4Sws Hope you like video
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Hope you had Happy Easter 2016. For Easter 2016, I listened to ZJ Malik’s Mind of Mine album on Internet which was released on March 25, 2016. I also watched Nelly Kim Furtado’s music best music videos-I saw 29 Nelly Kim Furtado videos & she is the musician who I’ve seen most videos from. She has some songs which I like with my favorites being Maneater, Spirit Indestructible & Bucketlist. Nelly Kim Furtado does nice music videos.
Back to Zayn, I’ll be listening to Zayn Javadd Malik’s Mind of Mine Album, dowloading my favorite songs from his album & he is doing well since leaving 1 Direction. I like 1 Direction’s Music but since I’ve heard 1 Direction’s songs so many times, I’ll be listening for time being to Zayn’s Mind of Mine-the songs which I like.
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Something else with singer Nelly Kim Furtado’s talent is that she can sing in 3 languages-Portuguese (her language), Spanish & English. Rest is copy/paste or copy&paste but nice to say again. Hope you had Happy Easter 2016. For Easter 2016, I listened to ZJ Malik’s Mind of Mine album on Internet which was released on March 25, 2016. I also watched Nelly Kim Furtado’s music best music videos-I saw 29 Nelly Kim Furtado videos & she is the musician who I’ve seen most videos from. She has some songs which I like with my favorites being Maneater, Spirit Indestructible & Bucketlist. Nelly Kim Furtado does nice music videos. Back to Zayn, I’ll be listening to Zayn Javadd Malik’s Mind of Mine Album, dowloading my favorite songs from his album & he is doing well since leaving 1 Direction. I like 1 Direction’s Music but since I’ve heard 1 Direction’s songs so many times, I’ll be listening for time being to Zayn’s Mind of Mine-the songs which I like.
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1980s musicians Def Leppard & 1990s grunge groups Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam who are White musicians don’t make much money anymore. I haven’t listened to heavy metal since Def Leppard besides Nickelback. I liked grunge in 1990s but since 2000 listen mostly to pop music as I like music the 1st time. Other than 1 Direction and Justin Drew Bieber, there aren’t any successful White pop musicians who I know of as it’s those 2 are the only White men pop musicians I listen to. As I don’t listen to country, my guess is they make less money because I don’t listen to country music.Black men make more money such as mostly Black NFL players, musicians such as Kanye Omari West. Women earn more than men as we see with music such as Nelly Kim Furtado, Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, Ariana Grande, 5th Harmony, etc.
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Listened on Internet JungleVibe to Target Deluxes of Meghan E. Trainor’s Thank You CD, Ariana Grande’s Dangerous Woman & Fifth Harmony’s 2016 what I call 5/26 as it was on May 26, 2016 that I listened to Fifth Harmony’s 2016 CD. Their music is good so they will make millions. With Meghan E. Trainor’s 2016 Thank You, the last 2 songs Goosebumps & Throwback Love are the best with 1950s juke. Fifth Harmony’s 5 girls turning 20 years old in 2016
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